25. Sick Of The City

Listen here: https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=4223902

Here in the good old USA holiday season is upon us. Flight delays, traffic snarl ups and traveling nightmares abound. However, folks all over the world put themselves though all of this for a reason... it's great to get away from the daily grind.

That's particularly the case if you are stuck in a job you don't particularly enjoy and tied into a routine that is pretty much the same every day. Until the advent of Zoom and remote working, many folk had no choice but to make a daily commute into an office in the city.

When such was my weekly routine, I really did not enjoy it. Getting up early to rush to the station to try and catch a train that you did not know was going to be on time. Invariably, as the journey went on, the more crowded it would become. Personal space could be a thing of luxury. Then when you arrived, being faced with the same old tasks could wear you down. Even the break times could take on a monotonous tone! I mean how much can you say about the weather in any given week?

The trip home could be even more congested than the trip to work. Trains were more likely to be cancelled on the homeward journey, so you never know exactly how long the commute would turn out to be.

I have to confess, some weeks I quickly grew sick of the city. And now, while there are days when I think “It would  be nice to go back to regular routine,” this song reminds me that I really did not enjoy the experience.

If such be your daily lot, then you may identify with this one. Feel free to sing along.

Such a topic musically seemed to cry out... “Make it funky.” There is something generically urban about a lot of funk music. The rhythm. The repetition. The stops and starts. It's tight. It's punchy. Music to keep you on the move.

Sick of The City
© Adrian J Pratt  - March 4 1981

Get up in the morning, it's a quarter to eight
I've overslept once again and now I'm running late
Run from the house and try to reach the train
Yet again, I've missed it. I'm going to be late again.

Boss – he is shouting what time of day do you think this is
I smile at him and say five past nine, that's what time it is
Works piling up, files all over the desk
And that phone won't stop ringing, its driving me round the twist

I'm sick of the city, I'm sick of the city,  So sick of the city, Working night and day
I'm sick of the city, I'm sick of the city,  So sick of the city, Working night and day

Soon gets round to eleven and its coffee time
And everybody's nattering – gab,gab,gab – the weathers fine
Not long to lunch, will I make it through the day
I don't think I'd do this job, if it wasn't for the pay

So the day keeps dragging, going on and on
Oh I'll be so pleased when another week has gone
Five O'Clock, its here at last, I run down to the train
People crushed against people squashed, oh here we go again

I'm sick of the city, I'm sick of the city,  So sick of the city, Working night and day
I'm sick of the city, I'm sick of the city,  So sick of the city, Working night and day

(Instrumental)

We spend our lives, working away-ay-ay,
Working week in, week out, working just for our pay-ay-ay
There's got to be more, Got to be more,  Got to be more to life than that....
… Got to be more to life than....

Get up in the morning, it's a quarter to eight
I've overslept once again and now I'm running late
Run from the house and try to reach the train
Yet again, I've missed it. I'm going to be late again.

So the day keeps dragging, going on and on
Oh I'll be so pleased when another week has gone
Five O'Clock, its here at last, I run down to the train
People crushed against people squashed, oh here we go again

I'm sick of the city, I'm sick of the city,  So sick of the city, Working night and day
I'm sick of the city, I'm sick of the city,  So sick of the city, Working night and day
There's got to be more, to life than that.

18 "Beans On Toast"

Listen here: https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=8502141

Many moons ago I took 4 teenagers from West Virginia to a youth retreat in Wales. One evening, all the Brit youth were excited that it was the evening that we would have beans on Toast for dinner. The USA contingent asked me what “Beans on Toast” was. I said, “Well. It's beans on toast.” “That's it?” They asked. “Just beans. On Toast?” They truly could not grasp how that would be something to look forward to.

And, looking at it through fresh eyes, it is kind of peculiar. When you live in a culture like the USA, where even a straightforward sandwich can feature multiples layers of meat, cheese and salad items, covered in a variety of dressings... it can be a shock to the system to see such disparity on display, as just beans on a piece of toast.

But of course, I grew up in the UK where Beans on Toast was considered a staple item on many a menu.  It could function as a breakfast course (my favorite), as lunch or even dinner or teatime. Yes... there were occasions when brown sauce, eggs and tomatoes would be added to the mix, but good old beans (preferably Heinz) on thick buttered toast fulfilled my dietary needs for at least one meal of many a day.

Though no longer in my homelands, I still enjoy the feast. News of my fascination with Beans on Toast even made it to Bluestone Youth Camp in West Virginia, where the lovely Cheryl Miller has indulged my culinary desire on a number of occasions. Though it has to be by special order.

I am guessing it rose to prominence in the UK as it was a cheap and cheerful meal in times of economic uncertainty. I recall a housing estate in one community we lived in being described as “The Baked Bean Estate” because it consisted mostly of homes which were probably a little pricier than their owners could afford. So, to keep up with the bills and mortgage payments, they were living off numerous meals of Beans on  Toast.

In the extended version of the 1979 Two Tone Classic by “The Specials” there is a line that says, “You've done too much, Much too young,  Now you're chained to the cooker, Making beans on toast for tea”

The voices at the beginning and the end of the recording are from an episode of the classic northern Soap Opera “Coronation Street” Beans on Toast? Mmm. Lovely.

Beans on Toast
© Adrian J Pratt December 2009

Wake up in the morning and I'm
Wondering what breakfast might be...
Will it be my favorite thing,
What I most enjoy with my cup of tea.

I want Beans on Toast
I want Beans on Toast
I want  Beans on Toast   
That's what I like
The most
Beans on Toast

I don't want no cream cheese bagel
No pancakes at my breakfast table
I don't want no Museli
There's only one thing that satisfies me

I want Beans on Toast
I want Beans on Toast
I want  Beans on Toast   
That's what I like
The most
Beans on Toast  

Don't be bringing me any milk and Corn Flakes
For me bacon and egg they ain't got what it takes
Leave out your yoghurt and your fruit and your cheese
There's something that I want more than any of these...

I want Beans on Toast
I want Beans on Toast
I want  Beans on Toast   
That's what I like
The most
Beans on Toast